The Evolution of "Gravity"

SPOILER ALERT: What follows is an interpretation and worldview critique of the recently released movie Gravity by Alfonso Cuarón starring Sandra Bullock. I will give away the ending, so save the link to this article for later if you want to see the movie first.

All geeks love space movies, so I've been eager to see Gravity. Based on the reviews by pros and amateurs, I anticipated a great movie, but I did not expect to wake up early the next morning figuring out the social commentary it made. I will spend exactly one sentence on what everyone else is writing great reviews about: the visual effects are stunning, the story tension makes you use body language in your seat trying to help out the characters, and the acting is strong. That's about as wordy as I can get as a movie critic. "Good movie; go see."

What started my attempt to unravel the subtext of the movie was the last scene. Bullock's character (Dr. Ryan Stone) flops out of the water onto the beach, struggles a bit (because she's been in zero gravity for many days), then makes it to her feet, and stumbles away. Cuarón focused in on that first step with such emphasis, it was clear he was trying to say something. It's almost certainly a microcosm scene of the "Evolution of Man" taking his first step. But I realized early the next morning, Cuarón was actually talking about the "Evolution of Woman."

The movie begins with Stone and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) in a peaceful, idealic coexistence - "Adam and Eve," tending to the "garden" (the Hubble Space Telescope) in innocence and beauty. He the strong, experienced one, flying independently with a jetpack, charming and sincere, but interpreting all events to be about himself; she the inexperienced, weak (even nauseous), but brilliant one who is dependent on the space shuttle's arm. He was there long before she arrived (the only thing missing was a rib comment). Then tragedy intrudes suddenly, with a massive onslaught of space debris from a chain reaction accident of satellites. The Fall. Eden is ripped apart into chaos, and Adam and Eve are expelled. A third astronaut (Abel? the serpent? innocence?) is killed, and death has come.

Stone is thrust into space alone, completely unable to help herself, spinning out of control. But low and behold - the Man, the rescuer, saves her. He must tether her to himself, so that she is now utterly dependent on him for life and safety (this scene includes the only face-to-face close up with the characters, suggesting the sexual politics that woman are "tethered" to men also in this way). Where he goes, she goes, like the cave man dragging his woman around by the hair.

Eventually, the tether is cut, and the man floats away, forever out of her life. She is free, independent, and needing to be self-reliant for the first time. She makes her way into the abandoned International Space Station, and immediately curls up into the fetal position asleep, with the camera angle showing her gestating in the "womb," ready for birth. Via the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, she makes her way to the Chinese space station, also abandoned.

At this point, she does not need man. Kowalski is gone, she can't get Houston the radio, the Russians are gone, the Chinese are gone. She is untethered, independent, alone, no men to rescue her. Perhaps Cuarón gave her a strong man's name (not just "Ryan," but "Ryan Stone") to show she has effectively replaced men. After a strange howling scene (primal?) where a disembodied male voice sings her a lullaby, she nearly gives up, until an aberration of Kowalski sparks a brilliant idea from her independent, brilliant mind, and she is reawakened. From fetal to strong. I wonder if her opening scene nausea was just her being weak or if it was a form of "morning sickness" for her own rebirth.

More drama and tragedy and tensions carry the story through to Stone's fiery entrance into earth's atmosphere, eventually splash landing in the ocean in a capsule. The door pops open, and the capsule quickly fills with water and sinks. Underwater, she is "birthed" from this "womb," and as frog swims by (you know, the lab animals we studied in school to learn about evolution), she must shed her skin (spacesuit) in order to survive. She breaks the surface of the water and breathes air into her lungs.

She then evolves onto the beach, unable to walk. Earlier, she said she never prayed to God; here on the beach, she utters a simple "thank you." A few attempts, and she's finally bipedal, but shaky. Alone and female on a desolate land. No man. No other humans in sight. No one to rescue her. (A snarky little part of me was hoping she'd run into Tom Hanks with a Wilson volleyball.) Roll credits.

The tethered scene, it appears, pictures the hierarchical view of men and women. Men with the power, women dragged behind with no control for a very unpleasant ride, going wherever the man decides to go. By the end of the movie, the fully evolved woman is not just equal to man, but completely without need of him. Her only companion here is the "missing link" frog. It is like Irina Dunn's statement made famous by Gloria Steinem, "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." Was her "thank you" for being alive, or for no longer needing a man? (Noticeably, her daughter is mentioned in the movie a few times, but never the girl's father.)

But both views of gender are unbiblical. Perhaps Cuarón believes the Bible teaches the hierarchical view, but he clearly eschews that model (as do I). But neither view properly displays the biblical concept of "one flesh." The hierarchical view is more like "one flesh - with an appendage." The manless view is "one flesh - hers." Rather, the concept of one flesh is male and female, equal in their standing before God and importance, but with some roles that are gender-specific based on the marriage covenant. Truly equal, but complementary. It is the only way to be "one flesh."

Of course, I may be reading too much into Cuarón. Some people online think the tether represents an umbilical cord, for example. However, starting from the ending scene and working backwards, give this view a shot. Good movie; go see.

Home Run the Movie

In the software business, I got a lot of free shirts. I didn't realize how many until I left the business and suddenly had to start buying my own shirts again. In pastoral ministry, I don't get many free shirts, but I do get to screen some movies for free. Producers of family-friendly movies love to invite pastors to see the movie, provide their feedback, and then (hopefully) put in a good word for the movie with their congregations. It's business, sure, but it's also nice to hear from one's pastor that he's seen a particular movie and can recommend it.

Last week, I got to see Home Run (http://www.homerunthemovie.com/), opening April 19. Cory Brand is a professional baseball player struggling with alcoholism and unresolved issues from his childhood. A series of bad decisions forces him to spend some time away from the game, where he finally begins to face his problems.

The movie earned a PG-13 rating, primarily because it openly discusses a variety of struggles that adults face, in the context of a recovery group. The discussions are not gratuitous or salacious, but they are direct. For example, one person talks (non-graphically) about his addiction to internet porn, and another talks about being abused as a child. Parents should decide whether or not their children are ready for those topics to come up - please don't take your kids unless you are able to guide them in discussing the issues at a conceptual level.

The production quality of the movie is generally good. There was only one actor I felt was weak, and she simply overplayed her character (I get the impression she was a sweet person trying to play a sassy person). The child actors held their own, but were not stand outs. The rest of the cast was enjoyable to watch. The first third of the movie was a less than smooth in its storytelling, but the remainder of the movie flowed well, had good pace and rhythm, and kept me engaged. Some of the camera work extended beyond storytelling and allowed us to appreciate the sights and sounds. The movie will not garner any major movie awards, and because of its strong Christian theme, will likely receive open criticism.

The story centers on the Christian ministry called Celebrate Recovery, which helps people deal with all kinds of addictions and other recovery situations. In some ways, the movie was a commercial for the ministry, but because CR does good work, I don't mind. Unlike some recent Christian-themed movies, Home Run does not set any false expectations that once you put your faith in Christ, everything is going to work out in the end. The CR scenes are clear that Christians are not magically freed from their problems, but that Christ is our greatest hope in the midst of those problems.

The biggest critique I put in my comments for the screening is that the movie does not really address the Atonement (the work of Jesus on the Cross to satisfy God's wrath for our sin). Yes, the message is that Jesus can provide recovery for us, but that's not the main reason Jesus came. Leaving out the Atonement runs the risk of preaching a "therapeutic Gospel" - that Jesus came to make our lives better. Instead, Jesus came to make unworthy sinners fit for God's holy and loving presence forever.

I do recommend the movie with enthusiasm. I believe people struggling with addictions can identify with one or more characters, and will be challenged with the idea that Jesus and the community of believers can bring victory. I do hope that people join CR after seeing this. The movie can spark conversations with your friends and loved ones who may struggle (and it can challenge any of us who struggle). The story is good, is not entirely predictable, and engages your emotions. It's a rare combination of a "clean" movie that dives into mature topics with some measure of realism.

It doesn't have the full Gospel overtly presented so that the viewer is directly challenged with the claims of Christ, but it does rightly show that addictions and dysfunctions can be successfully addressed within the Christian community relying primarily on Jesus.

Check out the website, and even use the site to campaign to make sure it opens in our area. Go see it, bring friends and family, and use it as a springboard to talk about important issues. Plus, it's a baseball movie, so I automatically like it!